The present invention relates to a circuit test clip having a plurality of conducting elements that make simultaneous electrical contact with an equal number of terminals on a miniaturized circuit, such as an integrated circuit (IC), on a printed board for the purpose of inspection or otherwise testing such circuit.
Various types of IC circuit test clip have been proposed for use with ICs arranged at small spacings. The basic structure of these clips is shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 41806/1974, Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. 97952/1982 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,383: a pair of support members of the same shape are pivotally connected under spring pressure, and a plurality of electric conducting elements of the same length are embedded in each support member longitudinally at the same spacing so that the tip of each of the conductive elements is exposed from one support member and faces inwardly the corresponding tip of each of the conductive elements exposed from the other support member. The spacing between each conductive element is equal to that of IC pins or terminals, and after opening the exposed ends of the support members against the spring pressure, the tip of each conductive element is brought into contact with the corresponding bare IC pin. The other end of each conductive element extends from the rear end of each support member so that it can be electrically connected to a tester or other suitable measuring instruments.
The conductive elements are embedded in each of the support members and if one of them is broken, the clip must be entirely replaced. In order to avoid this inconvenience, a device has been proposed wherein multiple conductive elements are arranged at equal spacings and parallel to each other between inner and outer plates which are bonded with an adhesive to make a support member. However, even this clip involves great difficulty in replacing a single broken conductive element since the inner and outer plates which are strongly bonded to each other cannot be easily separated.